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Iva Jovic, 18, Beats Paolini Again to Reach Ningbo Quarterfinals

American teenager Iva Jovic beat Jasmine Paolini for the second straight time, 6-4, 6-3, on Thursday to reach her seventh quarterfinal of a breakout 2026 season at the Ningbo Open.

Published

6 hours ago

October 22, 2026

Royal Jones

Iva Jovic hitting a backhand at the Ningbo Open

Iva Jovic’s breakout season rolled on in Ningbo. The 18-year-old American, the No. 4 seed, defeated two-time Grand Slam finalist Jasmine Paolini 6-4, 6-3 on Thursday to reach the quarterfinals of the Ningbo Open on her tournament debut.

After a first-round bye, Jovic fell behind 1-3 in the opening set before breaking in the fifth and ninth games to take it. The second set featured break after break — Jovic broke Paolini four more times — and she closed out the win in an hour and 22 minutes.

It is Jovic’s second straight win over Paolini, leveling their head-to-head at 2-2. She also beat the Italian at the Australian Open in January, her first Top 10 win, on her way to a first Grand Slam quarterfinal. By the WTA’s count, Thursday’s win was her 42nd tour-level victory of 2026 — by far her best season — her 20th career win over a Top 50 opponent, and it puts her in a seventh quarterfinal this year. She reached the semifinals in five of the previous six.

Born in Torrance, California, Jovic won her first WTA title in Guadalajara in September 2025, the youngest tour champion of that season, then defended the title last month, beating Peyton Stearns in the final. This year she has also reached the fourth round at Wimbledon and the US Open and peaked at a career-high No. 11 earlier this month; she is currently ranked No. 12.

Jovic plays sixth seed Diana Shnaider in the quarterfinals, having won their only previous meeting, in Dubai, in three sets. And with Iga Swiatek’s season over, a deep run in Ningbo would strengthen her case to travel to next month’s WTA Finals in Indian Wells as an alternate.

Photo credit: WTA

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Angel Reese’s Historic Night Powers Dream Past Valkyries 97-71 for 2-1 Finals Lead

Angel Reese had 21 points and 12 rebounds to become the first player in WNBA history with a double-double in each of her first three Finals games, and the Atlanta Dream routed the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead in the WNBA Finals.

Published

3 hours ago

October 22, 2026

Royal Jones

Angel Reese high-fives Jordin Canada during WNBA Finals Game 3

The Atlanta Dream turned their first home game of the WNBA Finals into a statement. Behind another commanding performance from Angel Reese, Atlanta blew out the Golden State Valkyries 97-71 on Wednesday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,099 at State Farm Arena, taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series and setting a franchise record for points in a Finals game.

Watch the official Game 3 highlights:

Atlanta’s defense set the tone from the opening tip. The Dream held Golden State scoreless for the first five minutes, and the Valkyries did not make a field goal until Aminata Gueye’s hook shot with 4:38 left in the first quarter. Atlanta led 23-15 after one and 46-40 at halftime.

Golden State made its push early in the third quarter, tying the game at 49. Reese answered personally, fueling an 8-0 run and capping it with a coast-to-coast driving layup. After the Valkyries trimmed the margin to 59-55, the Dream closed the quarter by scoring 12 of the final 14 points to carry a 71-57 lead into the fourth, then outscored Golden State 26-14 the rest of the way. Atlanta has now outscored Golden State 63-35 in third quarters across the series.

Angel Reese celebrates with Rhyne Howard during Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at State Farm Arena. (AP Photo)

Reese finished with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals. She is the first player in WNBA history to record a double-double in each of her first three Finals games, the youngest player ever with three straight double-doubles in the Finals, and she joined A’ja Wilson as the only players to post 20 points and 10 rebounds in consecutive Finals games. She also went 2-for-2 from three-point range; Atlanta is 14-0 this season when Reese makes a three.

“Time to take over. Do whatever it takes to win,” Reese said. “Everybody was just playing together. It’s fun when you win and you play with a great group. So it makes my job super easy.”

Rhyne Howard added 16 points and five steals, becoming the first player in league history with five steals in consecutive Finals games. Naz Hillmon scored 15, Isobel Borlase added 12 off the bench, and Jordin Canada finished with 10 points and eight assists. Atlanta shot 49.3 percent from the field, hit nine three-pointers and owned the paint, 44-20.

Gabby Williams led Golden State with 15 points, Tiffany Hayes scored 14, and Janelle Salaün and Cecilia Zandalasini added 13 apiece. But the Valkyries shot just 34.8 percent and committed 17 turnovers, which Atlanta converted into 22 points. “Sometimes, promises aren’t kept,” Golden State coach Natalie Nakase said.

Game 4 is Saturday, October 24 at 1 p.m. ET at State Farm Arena, televised on NBC and streaming on Peacock. Atlanta, playing in its first Finals since 2013, is now two wins away from the first championship in franchise history.